I’m back home now, my cap and gown hanging in the closet, graduation booklet propped against my bedroom mirror. It’s been a few days since they called my name at Graduation Square, and I’m still processing everything that’s happened. Not just that day, but the entire four years at Strathmore University, School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Looking back at that first week feels surreal now. Getting lost trying to find STC, being absolutely terrified of the fashion cops, and wondering if I would ever figure out how to navigate this place. None of us really knew what we were signing up for. We were all just trying to look like we belonged while discreetly ChatGPTing answers to questions in class and hoping we wouldn’t get dress-coded.

The uncertainty was overwhelming back then. I would sit at the gazebos with friends, all of us pretending we had our lives figured out while inside we were panicking about everything. From that 2/3 attendance requirement, finding a place that met Serviced Based Learning (SBL) requirements, if we wrote our Work-Based Learning (WBL) reports well, whether our research project proposal would get approved, and whether we were smart enough to actually make it through this degree.

But somehow, we survived it all. We survived the stress of maintaining attendance when matatus decided to break down on the worst possible days or water just disappeared the morning of an 8AM class. We made it through those brutal research project writing phases, spending countless hours in the library while our friends were out having fun or at home suffering right along with us. We survived being dress-coded by the fashion cops and learned to navigate the unspoken rules of this place.

I think about all those lunches at STC, the conversations in the club’s office, the late nights working on assignments while wondering if we were on the right path. The moments when we felt like everyone else had it figured out while we were still trying to understand what our lecturers were talking about.

Standing there a few days ago, listening to my name being called, watching my classmates stand for recognition, it hit me how much we had all grown so much. The irony wasn’t lost on me though. I was more uncertain about the future than I had been four years ago. I still don’t know if I’ll land that job I’ve been applying for, whether I’ll stay in Nairobi or head back home, if I should start that business idea or pursue further studies.

But you know what? I’m not as scared as I thought I would be.

Because somewhere between that confused first-year and the person who put on that gown, I learned something crucial: I can handle not knowing where I’m going. Every semester at Strathmore was practice. Every new unit was a leap into the unknown. My SBL placement pushed me out of my comfort zone. Every research deadline taught me I could figure things out even when I felt completely lost.

The scared first-year who first sat at those gazebos couldn’t have imagined the person reflecting on all this today. Not because I’m completely different, but because I’ve learned that uncertainty isn’t the enemy I thought it was. It’s just the space where growth happens.

My Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree isn’t just proof that I attended enough classes and submitted enough assignments. It’s evidence that I can start something without knowing how it will end. It’s proof that I can adapt, handle pressure, and keep going even when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Now, as I step into whatever comes next, I know I’ll probably make mistakes. I’ll definitely have moments where I feel completely lost. But I’ll also have this: the knowledge that I’ve navigated uncertainty before and emerged stronger.

To anyone reading this who’s just starting their Strathmore journey or standing where I was just a few days ago: it’s okay not to have it all figured out. You’re not the only one who feels like they’re making it up as they go along.

We’re all just figuring it out, one semester, one unit, one class at a time.

The future is still an unmarked road, but now I know I have the tools to navigate it. Strathmore taught me that much.

The real journey is just beginning.

Article written by Emily Olowo.